Chase Ultimate Rewards points do not expire on their own. As long as the credit card account tied to your rewards stays open and in good standing, your balance sits there indefinitely, whether you earn or redeem in a given year or not.1Chase. Do Chase Rewards Points Expire? What can wipe them out is something you or Chase does to the account.
One boundary to know up front: Chase can change the program itself. Under the rewards program agreement, the bank can reduce point values, limit redemption options, or end the program entirely, with at least 30 days’ notice.2Chase. Chase Sapphire Reserve With Ultimate Rewards Program Agreement So “no expiration” doesn’t mean “no risk of losing value.”
What Causes You to Lose Points
Closing the Account
Close your card and any unredeemed points are forfeited immediately, unless you hold another Chase card enrolled in Ultimate Rewards. There is no grace period after closure to transfer or redeem what was on the account.1Chase. Do Chase Rewards Points Expire?
Falling Behind on Payments
Missing payments puts your points at risk in stages. Under the rewards program agreement, being 60 days past due on the minimum payment can trigger a temporary suspension of your ability to use points. Continued delinquency can lead Chase to close the account, and closure for missed payments wipes out your balance for good.2Chase. Chase Sapphire Reserve With Ultimate Rewards Program Agreement1Chase. Do Chase Rewards Points Expire?
Program Misuse or Fraud
If Chase determines you engaged in fraud or program misuse, it can permanently remove your points. Chase describes this as forfeiture for “program misuse or other reasons detailed in your user agreement,” and these determinations typically stand even if you dispute them.1Chase. Do Chase Rewards Points Expire?
Returning a Purchase
Returns claw back the points you earned on the original transaction, bonus points included, once the return posts. If you already redeemed those points, your rewards balance goes negative and future earnings offset the deficit before you can redeem again.3Chase. How Refunds and Returns Work on a Credit Card
How to Save Your Points Before Closing a Card
Every option below has to happen before the account closes. Once it’s closed, the points are gone.
Move Them to Another Chase Card
You can transfer points to another Chase card enrolled in Ultimate Rewards, as long as that account belongs to you or a household member and neither account is restricted at the time. Points can also move between personal and business cards, and business cards can transfer to a company co-owner’s account. Start a transfer at chase.com/ultimaterewards, by phone, or at a branch.4Chase. J.P. Morgan Reserve With Ultimate Rewards Program Agreement5Chase. Transferring Points With Chase Ultimate Rewards
Transfer to an Airline or Hotel Partner
Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, and Ink Business Preferred cardholders can send points to participating airline and hotel programs in 1,000-point increments. Transfers are final, so confirm the receiving account first. You can send to your own loyalty account or to one authorized user who is a household member. Other Ultimate Rewards cards let you book travel through Chase’s portal but do not support direct partner transfers.6Chase. Chase Transfer Partners – Everything You Need to Know
Downgrade Instead of Closing
Ask Chase for a product change to a no-annual-fee card in the same family. You keep your points and your account history and stop paying the fee. In exchange, you may lose premium benefits like lounge access and earn points at a lower rate going forward.7Chase. Navigating Credit Card Changes – Understanding Credit Card Downgrades
Redeem Before You Close
If nothing else fits, cash them out. Each point is worth one cent as cash back or a statement credit, and the same one-cent baseline applies to gift cards, though Chase sometimes runs discounts that push the value higher. Ten thousand points equals $100 for most redemption types.8Chase. Chase Ultimate Rewards – How Our Program Works
If the Cardholder Dies
Chase’s estate services department handles a deceased cardholder’s account. Points are typically redeemed automatically as a statement credit rather than transferred to a surviving family member, which means survivors generally can’t move them into their own Ultimate Rewards account or to a travel partner. An executor or representative can reach estate services at 1-866-926-6909 or schedule a branch appointment.9Chase. Estate Services If you share a household with a Chase cardholder and expect to inherit their points, plan the transfer while they are still alive.